Two women in Carinthia were denied a rental contract – solely because of their sexual orientation. The Homosexual Initiative (HOSI) Wien strongly condemns this case of blatant homophobia and once again calls for comprehensive anti-discrimination protection for LGBTIQ people.

“When two women are denied an apartment just because they are lesbians, we are talking about an existential problem,” explains Ann-Sophie Otte, Chairwoman of HOSI Wien. “No one would accept such blatant discrimination against ethnic minorities or people with disabilities, and that is precisely why they are already protected by law. It is completely incomprehensible why the law has not long since been amended accordingly to also protect queer people from such assaults – or at least to give them the possibility of taking legal action.”

Otte expresses outrage that such cases can still go unpunished in 2025: “The fact that this reality is still possible is a disgrace – for our society, but especially for politics. People must no longer be at the mercy of the whims of landlords or service providers just because they are queer.”

Criticism of the Federal Government

“That comprehensive anti-discrimination protection is entirely absent from the current government program is not just an oversight, but a political failure,” Otte continues. “The federal government has a duty to finally reform the Equal Treatment Act and implement comprehensive protection against discrimination in all areas of life and for all grounds of discrimination. Anything else is a deliberate ignorance of the reality that queer people face every single day. So far, this has failed because of the ÖVP. Now that no one can deny that this is a real problem, we call on them to abandon their resistance and finally protect people affected by discrimination instead of those who discriminate.”